TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Yenti Garnasih, expert on money laundering law from Trisakti University, Jakarta, said that Garuda Indonesia shares owned by Muhammad Nazaruddin can be confiscated by investigators. The confiscation may be conducted despite the national airline shares ownership had been switched to other parties. “Because the money used to purchase the shares was obtained from crime with indications of money laundering,” Yenti told TEMPO on Thursday.
Yenti believes that the investigators must trace the money used to purchase Garuda Indonesia shares. Yenti went on that there are three things that need to be further examined in money laundering practices. First, the perpetrator will keep the money in his or her company. Secondly, the money will be transferred to other companies. Lastly, the money will be transferred again by the perpetrator from the last company to another company or somewhere else.
However, Yenti reminded that the money trail may be hard to trace if the perpetrator had distributed the money to multiple parties “and if the money had been used for other purposes.” In this case, Yenti went on, the receiver of the money may face a five-year jail term and the money distributor may face 20 years.
ALI NY | TRI SUHARMAN